Pork Loin gets Garden Fresh

Vidalia onions freshly harvested

My brown thumb has yielded little produce from our garden, but even with my neglect a few plants have managed to grow. The onions were significantly larger than last year, although still small by grocery store standards. Spacing them out a little farther (4 in instead of 3 in) and keeping them better weeded (although as not as well weeded as I should have,) I believe were two of the contributing factors. One of the major differences this year from last is that I limed the soil before I planted anything. I used the granulated form, which is supposed to release slower over the season. This also might have contributed to the better harvest. The hardest part, I’ve found, is keeping on top of the weeds!

We recently had a meal that came almost completely from the garden. Tony picked up pork loins on sale, so this made one of the cheapest meals we’ve had in a long time. Here are the recipes below.

Pork with Herbs

1 12-inch pork loin
1/2 cup onion, sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed gently with knife
6-7 fresh basil leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
1 spring fresh oregano, leaves removed
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

First place the lion fat side down on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange basil leaves, garlic and onions on top. Sprinkle over oregano and rosemary. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 90 min. Baste over with juices halfway through baking and then again before serving. This looks beautiful on a plate, with the herbs crusted on the top of the loin.

Butter Potatoes

7-8 small potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain and mix with butter, salt and pepper.

Such a simple recipe, but always wonderful.

Turnip Greens

2 Turnips with greens attached
4-5 cloves garlic, slightly crushed with knife
1/2 cup sliced onions
2 Tbl sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce, to taste

Chop turnips and greens. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Add onions, garlic and seasonings and cook for 1-2 hours.

Greens are best cooked for a long time. Serve with Tomato Relish if you have it around.